File divider



NOV, 29, 1955 R. s. DANZEL 'ET AL 2,725,059

FILE DIVIDER Filed Nov. 24, 1952 52 ,w /o L's-35 22 591,

08527 6. DAN/EL MAXWELL 5. FULCHEE FILE DIVIDER Robert S. Daniel, Alexandria, Va., and Maxwell S. Fulcher, Bethesda, Md.

Application November 24, 1952, Serial No. 322,288

1 Claim. (Cl. 129-31) The present invention relates to improvements in a divider for file cabinets.

The present application is a continuation in part of our Patent 2,633,849.

More particularly, the present invention is concerned with a divider for separating cards and folders and one that may be slidable on a rod that is mounted longitudinally of the base of a cabinet drawer or the like.

An object of the present invention is the provision of means on the divider for slidable movement on a rod.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of means for frictionally holding the divider in adjusted locked position when it is slightly tilted.

A still further object of the present invention is the provision of means for preventing the divider from tilting from side to side, and supporting the base of the divider in spaced relation from the bottom plate of the divider.

The foregoing and other objects of the present invention should clearly appear from the following description as detailed when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of the filing device showing dimples along the longitudinal edge of the back plate, and a tongue and feet depending from the bottom plate.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view taken on line 2--2 of Figure 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows, the broken line indicating a tilted position.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the base portion taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2 looking in the direction of the arrows and showing a slot in the base mid-way the ends.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44 of Figure 3 showing one of the support means.

Figure 5 is a partial fragmentary front view showing the device tilted back and showing the apertures in the tongues gripping a guide rod.

Referring to the drawing the numeral represents an L-shaped dividing and supporting member in its entirety, designed for use in a pull out cabinet drawer or its equivalent. The member 10 comprises a vertical plate 12 integrally joined to a horizontal base plate 14, the base plate having a central elongated aperture 16 produced by striking out a pair of tongues or feet 18 and 20 therefrom and in spaced relation. The feet or tongues 18 and 20 have apertures 22 therein to connect them for free travel along a cylindrical rod 24 that conventionally forms a front to back element of many types of file cabinet drawers in use. The upper ends 26 of the apertures 22 are of semi-circular configuration and of a greater diameter than the diameter of the rod 24 so as to slide freely when pushed or pulled horizontally on the rod, the lower ends of one or both of the apertures 22, and especially those of foot 18 are tapered downwardly to a width slightly less than the rod diameter so that by tilting the ited States Paten 0 hce member 10 slightly in a rearward direction it may be frictionally secured to the rod in any position of sliding adjustment. The tilted position of the member 10 is illustrated in broken lines in Figure 2, and in Figure 5 the locked position to the rod, due to frictional engagement, is illustrated. The simple interconnection permits a plurality of cards or other papers that stand on edge upon the base 14 to be loosened, viewed and repacked with ease and without the need of spring clamps or other extraneous devices that until now have been utilized to hold a slidable partition in adjusted position.

The base plate 14 at its side ends has feet 28 that are produced by stricking them from the base plate, and these feet are of the same length as the tongues or feet 18 and 20, and they serve to space the base plate from the bottom of a. drawer, and to prevent the divider 10 from tilting from side to side when disengaged from a rod.

Adjacent the longitudinal edge 30 of the plate 12 are a plurality of equally spaced and horizontally aligned dimples 32, and they are preferably semi-circular, in the form of protuberances pressed or stamped therefrom and they are adapted to be engaged by companion dimples on a tab member.

In use of the device, the divider 10 is placed in a filing cabinet drawer, and the rod 24 passed through the apertures 22, the divider adapted to be moved forwardly or rearwardly to tighten or loosen a bundle of material for convenient inspection, and adapted to be frictionally locked in place by tilting the divider 10 rearwardly which moves the narrow portion of the apertures 22 toward the rod 24, impinging the rod and locking the divider in tilted position.

It will be understood that the above description and the accompanying drawing comprehends only the general preferred embodiment of our invention and that various changes in details of construction may be made without departing from the scope of the invention and the claim hereto appended.

What is claimed is:

A file divider for a filing cabinet, comprising an L- shaped member having a substantially vertical panel integral with a horizontal base plate, offset feet formed from the side edges of said base plate by bending inwardly and downwardly, front and rear feet struck from the base plate midway the longitudinal edges, said feet formed by bending downwardly, slot in the last named feet, said slots being larger at the top and tapering from the top to bottom, the bottom of said slots frictionally engageable with a rod,'the front slot frictionally locking said L-shaped member to said rod when said L-shaped member is pivoted on the rear foot, and the rear slot frictionally locking the L-shaped member to the rod when said member is pivoted on the front foot, whereby said member will normally be freely movable on said rod.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 757,194 Huening Apr. 12, 1904 769,722 Smith Sept. 13, 1904 1,030,625 Weis June 25, 1912 1,147,055 Vick July 20, 1915 1,314,687 Miller Sept. 2, 1919 1,786,411 West Dec. 23, 1930 1,790,451 Wagner Jan. 27, 1931 1,874,950 Forsyth Aug. 30, 1932 2,122,223 Dollen June 28, 1938 2,256,352 Regenhardt Sept. 16, 1941 2,633,849 Daniel et al. Apr. 7, 1953 

